Tony Abbott warns ragtag Australian MPs not to stand in his way

A ragtag group of unlikely new Australian MPs labelled the "six people
you won't believe could get elected" are to take power in Canberra, but
have been warned by Tony Abbott, the prime minister-elect, not to stand in
his way.

Mr Abbott today promised to be respectful towards the new Senators but warned that they must respect his strong victory at the federal election. Photo: REX FEATURES

By Jonathan Pearlman, Sydney

10:13AM BST 09 Sep 2013

The incoming British-born leader today travelled to the capital to start his transition to power after his landslide victory against Kevin Rudd on Saturday and immediately began working on plans to scrap Labor's carbon tax.

But Mr Abbott, not usually known for his negotiating skills, is likely to need to win the support of several new Senators who will hold the balance of power in Australia's Senate, or upper house. Mr Abbott's Liberal-National coalition won a commanding 30-plus majority in the lower house but does not control the Senate, which is divided between the coalition, Labor, the Greens and a growing assortment of independents.

Among the new Senators – whose unexpected elections was greeted with bemusement in the national media – are Ricky Muir, from the Australian Motoring Enthusiast Party, who has posted an online video of himself running around a garden engaging in a "kangaroo poo" fight and another titled "Beer Batter for Dummies".

There could also be two Senators from the party set up by Clive Palmer, the mining tycoon who is building a replica of the Titanic. One of his new Senators is a former Australian rugby league prop forward, Glenn Lazarus, widely known as "the brick with eyes"; the other is Jacquie Lambie, who has admitted joining the party because she was "running out of money".

Mr Palmer, who is likely to win a seat for himself in the lower house, said he is a "kingmaker" and will use his newly won parliamentary power to put "a smile on the face of a child".

Mr Abbott today promised to be respectful towards the new Senators but warned that they must respect his strong victory at the federal election.

"In the end they all need to respect the government of our nation has a mandate," Mr Abbott told Fairfax radio.

"Now I know it's a two-way street and respect has got to be earned rather than merely demanded, but nevertheless the people voted for change and change they will get." A senior frontbencher, Christopher Pyne, said: "I think the Senate will end up being messy, yes, but we can work it."

The new Senators will take their positions next July and Mr Abbott is unlikely to gain much support from Labor and the Greens, who will hold the balance of power in the meantime. But Mr Palmer supports repealing the carbon tax and while the positions of other incoming Senators is unclear – perhaps even to themselves – several have a right-leaning disposition which will probably favour the new prime minister.

Mr Abbott, 55, a Rhodes Scholar and former boxer, was regarded as an effective and consultative minister under the Howard government but critics say his aggressive and combative manner have been his downfall as a politician.

After the 2010 election, which left the lower house divided for the first time in 70 years, Mr Abbott proved unable to win over enough independents to gain control of the lower house. An independent MP, Tony Windsor, later claimed that Mr Abbott tried to gain his support by saying: "The only thing I wouldn't do is sell my arse – but I'd have to give serious thought to it". Mr Windsor was not persuaded and threw his support behind Julia Gillard to become prime minister.

Mr Abbott is due to be sworn in by the Governor-General early next week after the counting of ballots is complete. The coalition is on track to win 89 seats in the 150-member lower house, compared to Labor's 57 and the remainder to the independents and a Green.